The Great Escape
by aimsm
Summary: *IN PROGRESS* Living as a muggle, surrounded by muggles, was easily adjustable. But escaping her past was much harder than she anticipated. Dramione.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

Hermione lifted her neck from it's awkward position. She sat slouched in her arm chair, a book held loosely in her lap. Blinking her eyes, they adjusted to the light streaming in through the windows. She lifted her hand to rub the sore spot on the side of her neck.

Glancing at the clock, she sighed as it read 10:53am. It was almost too late for breakfast. Hermione pushed herself up slowly and marked the page before closing her book. She loathed waking up later than eight, but she had become too acquainted with restless nights.

After her book was returned to it's rightful place, she ambled over to the fridge. Pulling it open, a container of greek yogurt and granola caught her eye.

"What to do today…" Hermione breathed out.

Moving to America had been much more difficult than she expected. She felt extremely isolated. She anticipated the fact that she would be leaving behind everyone she knew, the good and the bad, but she also planned on making friends. It was harder to get close to people than she thought it would be.

After a long shower, she raised her wand to dry her hair. Pulling it back, she twisted it into a simple bun. Putting on jeans and a burgundy jumper, she then slipped on her favorite pair of flats and traipsed out the door.

Twenty minutes passed before she entered into down town. It was chilly but not cold. Walking along the store fronts, Hermione glanced into various windows and said hello to the other residents running errands.

She turned into a cafe on her left with a sign that read 'The Grind', and walked up to the counter.

"Hey, Hermione! You want your usual?" The cashier greeted her.

Hermione gave her a smile. "That would be great, Alice."

"What have you been up to today? Any plans?" Alice asked while pouring her coffee into a to-go cup.

"Just working on some documents at home, grabbing some groceries... And maybe I'll buy a new pair of boots since mine have been worn to their limit. Are you working until close?" Hermione reciprocated, counting out her change.

The strawberry blonde popped a lid on to Hermione's coffee cup and handed it to her, exchanging it for the money in her hand. "Nope! I'll be off at five. Do you want to come to my place tonight? The bachelor is on and you still haven't decided who you're rooting for!"

Hermione mentally rolled her eyes. "Sure, that sounds like fun. Can I bring anything?"

"Nah, I already have all the food I need. I'll see you at seven." Alice waved as Hermione nodded in confirmation and began to leave.

Alice was one of the first people she had become acquainted with. When Hermione was new she had shown her around the town, introducing her to other people who lived there. While she was sweet and her intentions were kind, they didn't always have the same interests. Hermione found the bachelor a waste of time, uninteresting, and rather demeaning. But they both had to compromise on the things they did together.

Stopping in a boutique around the corner, Hermione quickly picked out a pair of simple brown, knee-high zip-up boots. With a brief conversation from Henry, the sales associate, and a swipe of her debit card, she left with a bag on her arm.

Approaching the book store, she heard a voice yell to her from behind.

"Hermione! Hey! Wait up!" The man jogged after her, breathing heavy and toting a bouquet of flowers per usual on Mondays.

Hermione slowed and turned around, unsurprised at the face she was met with. Gavin finally caught up with her, taking a few moments to catch his breath before speaking.

"It's good to see you Hermione," Gavin smiled. "These, of course, are for you." He lifted the bouquet of multi-colored roses towards her.

With her free hand, Hermione took them graciously. He had been quite taken with her ever since they first met, offering her flowers every Monday to 'brighten her home the rest of the week'.

"Thank you, Gavin. They're very pretty, as always." She half smiled, though it was laced with a little bit of sadness and annoyance.

"Mrs. Thompson always ensures I get the best bouquets from her market. She sure knows her flowers." He chuckled, his hands resting on his waist.

"I presume you're doing well?" Hermione questioned, moving the conversation along.

"Oh yeah, very well. I just got a promotion at work, actually. Why don't you come out with me tonight so I can properly celebrate?" Gavin's eyes searched her face hopefully.

Hermione shifted awkwardly, messing with the bag on her arm. "I have plans already, I'm hanging out with Alice to tonight. And we've had this discussion before, you know I…"

"I know, I know. Can't blame a guy for trying. No pressure, come as my friend. There will be other people there, you can invite Alice along. It'll be fun, I promise." He tried again.

"I suppose that beats watching the bachelor," his eyes lit up as she spoke. "I'll speak with Alice, but I can almost guarantee she'll be on board with going. Where is everyone meeting?"

"Sal's pub. Be there at seven thirty sharp, and gifts are very encouraged." He winked at her jokingly.

Hermione grinned and she rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say. I have to get going but I'll see you tonight."

Departing from his presence, she continued on her way without a glance back to see if he was watching her walk away.

* * *

Hours later, Hermione found herself choosing what to wear out to the party... event? Get together sounded appropriate. After a quick search through her closet, she decided on a fit and flare sleeveless dress that had large black and white stripes, falling a few inches above her knee. She paired it with a thin red belt and modest nude heels. After pinning her hair up in a more elegant way, she fixed her mascara and applied a lipstick that matched her belt.

The doorbell rang and she stashed her wand in it's hiding place.

"Come in!" Hermione hollered towards the door.

"Are you ready?" Alice appeared from around the corner and spotted Hermione in the kitchen. "No! Stop! Why are you doing dishes? We're going out tonight and it's supposed to be fun, you party pooper." She whined, crossing her arms.

Hermione looked back at her from what she was doing and rolled her eyes. "I would like to come home to a clean house, not worrying about the dishes sitting in the sink. I'm finishing up now anyways so no more cleaning, happy?"

"Very." Alice teased. She wore a fitted navy dress, resting just above her knee. Her neckline was almost considered plunging and her long blonde hair fell in soft waves around her. Alice wore smokey, dramatic makeup, a drastic difference from Hermione.

Grabbing her jacket, Hermione let Alice pull her along and they strolled down the street, chatting about various things to pass the time.

They arrived at the pub and entered in to find a relatively large room packed with people. Everyone was mingling, talking and laughing as they sipped on their drink of choice. Gavin spotted them almost instantly and weaved in and out of the crowd towards them, a wide smile on his face.

Hermione smiled back, but then glanced over at Alice to break the eye contact.

"I'm so happy you guys could make it!" Gavin pulled them into a group hug.

"You know we wouldn't miss it, this is a big deal!" Alice reassured him.

"The bar has an open tab on me, food and drinks alike order whatever you want. Oh, and Alice, Keith was looking for you. He's over by Mark and Avery." He informed the pair.

Alice turned to Hermione, simultaneously scanning the crowd. "Would you like to accompany me over there?"

"No, thank you. You can go ahead, I'm going to get a drink and mingle a bit."

"You're positive?"

"Yes, go on and find him." Hermione gave her a smile and playful shove. Alice departed looking giddy, disappearing into the small sea of people.

In all honesty, the last thing she wanted to do was watch her fawn herself over Keith, someone she didn't feel was nearly good enough for Alice. He was a bit of a player and was purposefully leading her on, though she wouldn't listen to anyone who said so.

She also didn't particularly want to be here alone, but it was probably better than the alternative.

"Can I get you your drink?" Gavin inquired, resting his hand on her upper arm.

"That's okay, we're all here for you so I'm sure you're high in demand tonight. I won't keep you away from everyone." She smiled softly at him and pulled away from his grasp, walking away before he could properly rebuttal.

Approaching the bar, Hermione spotted a bottle of wine she enjoyed and requested a glass from the bartender. After receiving it, she took a sip and sat at the counter, surveying who all was there. She recognized about half of the people, assuming the other half were probably co-workers she hadn't met or his family. A few waved or smiled at her, but no one walked over to say hello.

She couldn't blame them. She kept herself distanced from most, even those she was closer with didn't know everything about her. How could they? They were all muggles. They saw her the way she wanted them too. It could get lonely sometimes, but it was for the best.

Hermione spotted Wyatt and wandered over to him. He stood average height, dark hair and eyes. He wore grey dress pants with a soft pink button up shirt tucked in.

"I didn't know you were coming tonight." He said, taking her in a one-armed embrace.

"Yeah, Alice and I came together. We got here just a few minutes ago." She replied before taking another sip.

Wyatt glanced around. "Where is that little firecracker anyways? Not with Keith, I hope."

Hermione rolled her eyes and gave him a look. "Of course she is. And he is undoubtedly drinking up all of her attention."

"He's going to get her in a load of trouble, or just completely devastate her. I wish she'd come to her senses." He shook his head, obviously nursing his drink.

"You and me both." She sighed.

"How have you been? Anything interesting happening in the life of Hermione Jean?"

"Well, work is fine as usual. I bought myself a pair of new boots to replace the ones I've worn out, and I finished that book I was telling you about last week. You should check it out, the ending was a complete plot twist." She said plainly.

"Wow, you lead a fascinating life." Sarcasm was evident in his tone. Hermione gave him a light shove and he chuckled at her, leaving her unable to hide a smile from forming on her lips.

"Okay, I get it. I should get out more. I just prefer to stay in, so I guess no fascinating stories for you anytime soon."

"Darn." He grinned and poked her shoulder playfully.

Cassandra came up to them just then, sliding her arm through Wyatt's.

"Hermione! How great to see you. How are you?" Her tone discreetly fake, but Hermione had become a pro at recognizing it.

"I'm great. How about you?" Hermione smiled tightly at her.

"Just wonderful. Honey," she turned her attention towards Wyatt, "Mr. Kasovich was looking for you. He was over there last I saw." Cassandra pointed off towards another corner of the room.

"I'll see you later, Hermione." He smiled and turned, allowing Cassandra to drag him away.

She had always been jealous of Hermione for some unknown reason. While Hermione could never see Wyatt in a romantic way, Cassandra still felt her relationship was threatened. She wasn't good for him, but they had been together since before she moved here. Not to mention, Cassandra hadn't done anything specifically wrong that she knew of, so it wasn't any of her business.

Hermione shifted her weight and took another sip. She stood there as the minutes passed, observing the conversations around her, watching the different expressions and reactions on their faces. No one seemed to notice her as she did this.

Deciding to find with Alice, she began to weave through the crowd. Blonde hair stuck out randomly throughout the room but she hadn't spotted Alice's blonde hair yet. Noticing Keith's height among the crowd, she searched around him and a few paces to his right stood Alice. Hermione let out a sigh, keeping her eye on her friend as she walked.

Halfway there a man came into her line of view. He was tall and broad shouldered, wearing a black suit. Hermione attempted to see past him, but then he moved past as quickly as he had been just been there.

Hermione stopped, her feet coming to a halt. She looked away from Alice and back to the man who had been in her way. His hair was a shade of blonde she'd only seen in one family. So platinum, you would question if it was closer the blonde or white.

It couldn't be him. The chances of that were so slim, there probably wasn't a real number for it.

She stared at the back of his head as he sat his empty glass on the bar counter, threw down a few bills, and headed towards the door. Even after he disappeared behind the corner, Hermione didn't move. She felt like she couldn't breath.

It's impossible, there was absolutely no way. She told herself she was being silly and that it wasn't him. She was overreacting and needed to relax.

Downing the last of her wine, she decided to head home, forgetting to let her friends know due to her distracted mind.

Hermione took deep breaths when she first stepped outside of the pub. Closing her eyes, she felt her body release it's tension. She knew she was right, that it wasn't him, but her stomach was trying to convince her otherwise. Taking off her shoes, she walked down the sidewalk. The streets were mostly empty, allowing her to make her way home unbothered.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

Hermione's week continued on as normal, and it was less than 48 hours later that she forgot all about the blonde haired man without a face.

Between work, reading, and her friends consistently trying to get her out of the house, she didn't give her mind the time to over analyze it.

Saturday night was approaching and Hermione's friends predictably had something planned. Pre-dinner drinks were to be held at Wyatt and Cassandra's home this time. While she wasn't anywhere near a "social butterfly", she refused to let herself become hidden away from everyone, allowing loneliness to consume her. She forced herself not to push everyone away just because she'd never get see her old friends again.

Noticing the time, Hermione threw on an olive green jacket over her blush-pink top, dark skinny jeans, and wedges. She insisted to Alice, who had been persistent on them getting ready together, that she would meet her there. A quick walk a few blocks over and she was knocking on the front door. She glanced around awkwardly when there wasn't an answer. After a minute and a half, she double checked the time and raised her hand to knock once more. Before her hand could hit the wood, it swung open with Cassandra standing inside. Hermione retracted her fist, fumbling with the straps on her purse as she readjusted it on her shoulder.

Cassandra stepped aside, "Come on in, Hermione. Everyone's in the kitchen," and turned and walked swiftly towards the kitchen, not looking back to see if her guest was following.

"Oh, hey, it's nice to see you too," Hermione mumbled when Cassandra was out of ear shot. Once the door clicked shut, she slipped off her jacket and laid it over her forearm.

Making her way across the living room, the voices in the distance became more distinct. Her steps slowed and she strained her ears, figuring out that there were six different ones.

"Hermione!" Alice squealed, rushing over to embrace her.

"Hey!" Hermione tried to mimic her excitement. She adored Alice, but outings like this with everyone were depleting for her.

Looking over the faces in the room, she received nods, waves, and a "Hello!" from Gavin. A woman named Rachel, who was best friends with Cassandra, and another woman she didn't recognize stood talking with one another almost in a private manner.

Wyatt was in the corner mixing up a martini for someone, so Hermione decided to sneak up behind him, keeping her steps light.

"Surprise," She said, amused when he jumped before she'd gotten the full word out.

"Holy- you about made me drop this!" He gestured to the glass in his hand.

"Well you should be more careful then," she teased, smirking and placing an elbow on the bar with her chin resting on her palm.

He snickered, "Any requests?"

Hermione thought for a second before replying, "Probably just my usual for tonight."

"Coming right up!"

She laughed at him, knowing he thought he was some sort of 'professional', the so-called king of making drinks.

The sipping and socializing went on until everyone was satisfied that they had enough alcohol without reaching their limit. This town seemed to have unspoken rule about drinking. Anyone who reached the point of being completely uninhibited was looked down upon, as if they were less of a person for making "such a spectacle of themselves". Most everyone was stuck in their ways, taught one thing without really questioning why.

They walked downtown and into a newer restaurant that seated them immediately. Hermione sat between Alicia and the girl she'd never met. Hermione sat and half listened, casually looking around the at the other tables to see who else had come out tonight. Alice elbowed her in the ribs and she tuned back in to her own table.

"Ow, what?" Hermione whispered a bit harshly, grabbing at her side.

Alice ignored her tone and continued to stare at Wyatt and Cassandra. "Look!"

Wyatt had a ring box in his hand and was in the middle of getting down on one knee.

Hermione's mouth dropped open. This shouldn't have been a huge surprise, since they've been together for three years, but Wyatt hadn't even mentioned that he was thinking of popping the question. She thought she would've had the privilege of knowing, considering Wyatt was someone she considered herself rather close with. Had he kept it a surprise from everyone perhaps? Though Cassandra's friends appeared more excited than surprised. It didn't matter, really. What would she have said? It stung a little but she quickly dismissed it and focused on being happy for the couple in front of her.

"You are the journey, and I want to travel. Our life together is an adventure and I never want to reach the destination. Continue on this journey with me, baby; will you be my wife?" Wyatt pleaded, his eyes sparkling sincerely as he looked up at his girlfriend.

Cassandra's hands covered her mouth with a gasp and her friend without a name continued to record the entire scene on her cellphone.

"I will!"

After an hour or congratulating, wedding talk, and mindless chit-chat, Hermione had made an excuse to get away from everyone after dinner, while everyone else stayed to continue celebrating. She tried to push out of her head the thought that Wyatt deserved better, repeating to herself that he loved Cassandra and she loved him. There was nothing _technically_ wrong with their relationship, and he was happy, so she needed to be happy for them.

Hermione had decided on going to the beach. It was cold, so no one was there. The biting air gave her contentment as it gently nipped at her exposed skin. She walked down the shore line a foot or two away from the water, holding her shoes in her hand. Eventually she stopped and plopped down into the cool, dry sand, laying down onto her back. She closed her eyes, soaking in the sounds of the water rushing to meet her.

Then she heard it, so faint she almost didn't. It took a couple of minutes to register it was even there. Sitting up and opening her eyes, she glanced around, using her hand to shake the sand out of her hair.

In the distance she noticed a figure, definitely male. He was throwing rocks he was finding across the great body of water. Hermione squinted, her eyes drawn to the head of hair that belonged to him.

Platinum blonde.

She stood quickly and took a few slow steps, then continued on a bit faster so she could prove to herself that she was being unreasonable. The man in the distance was too preoccupied to notice her, clearly distracted by the thoughts in his own head.

Hermione halted, dropping her shoes. She could just make out the side of his face.

The face she was staring at matched the bully who had tormented her in school, the boy who took the dark mark and let death eaters into Hogwarts, the boy who watched her being tortured in his parents home.

She felt sick. Why was here? Did he know she was here? How long has he been here? Hermione's mind swirled with countless questions that she didn't know the answer to, almost making her dizzy.

She didn't know what to do. Should she confront him? Run and hide so he doesn't see her? Before she could decide he turned, his back facing her, and began to depart from the beach.

Hermione picked up her shoes and began to run after him, but then stopped. She repeated this process two more times before growing frustrated with herself. She couldn't decide whether or not to just do it, but before she could figure it out he was out of view. She mentally cursed herself, then him, and headed home.

Her mind was cloudy the entire walk. Where did he live? Was he watching her at this moment from a window? Did he know where her home was? She laughed at those thoughts, refusing to become paranoid, but doubt hid in the back of her mind.

Once Hermione arrived and went inside, she locked the door and pulled all the curtains closed. Her brain felt fuzzy, so she decided to go to bed. Walking back to her bedroom, she didn't bother to turn on any lights to find her way and laid in her bed without undressing.

* * *

The day following her encounter left her highly distracted. Hermione went about with her normal routine, with the exception of her eyes always scanning groups of people on the street or those in the shadows. Alice had to snap her fingers at Hermione three different times during their brunch to keep her involved in the conversation.

Alice continued on, "You know, I was thinking about it and I don't think I really want-"

"Has anyone moved into town recently?" Hermione interrupted.

Alice was taken aback for a moment. "Uh, what? I was in the middle of trying to tell you tha-"

"I know I'm not being a good listener, and consequently, not a good friend. I'm sorry, really. I'm just dealing with something right now… Do you know if anyone has moved here recently?"

"What's wrong? Has something happened?" Alice dropped her look of annoyance for one of concern.

"It's something private… Something that has to do with someone from my past, before I moved here," confided Hermione.

"Oh," said Alice. "Well as for someone moving here, I'm not sure. If they did they must have done it quickly and quietly, because new comers usually make their way into the town gossip. I can ask around of you want?"

Hermione smiled and relaxed a little, "That would be great, I really appreciate it."

Alice returned her smile and then continued on with her story from before, while Hermione did her best to not let her mind wander.

After finishing off their plates, they said their goodbyes and went off in different directions. Hermione attempted to window shop instead of searching through the people on the street, but it didn't do much good. She ended up in the bookstore. Browsing through a wall lined with various genres, she found one of interest and pulled it down.

Hermione headed toward the back of the store to find her favorite spot, a small corner on the floor between bookshelves covered with pillows in assorted patterns.

It felt like thirty minutes had passed, but her watch confirmed it to be two hours since she sat down. She stood and readjusted the jumper she had on. Once Hermione returned the book to its assigned place, she turned around to leave and knocked hard into a man with a stack of books in his arms that consequently tumbled to the ground.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" Hermione tried to catch the books that were tumbled to the floor without success. They both quickly kneeled to pick them up.

"It's okay, it was my fault. I should have known you didn't have eyes on the back of your head to see me," he smiled and looked up from the mess on the floor.

Hermione blushed and looked back down at what she was doing, "Well I definitely should have been paying closer attention. I hope none of your books are damaged."

"They don't appear to be," he looked over the last one and placed it on top of the new stack. "I'm Jackson by the way," he said, standing up and offering her a hand.

"Hermione," she took it and let him pull her up.

"Well it's finally nice to properly meet you after all this time."

"Yeah," she laughed, absentmindedly picked at the hem of her top. "I've been shopping here for two years now and I've never known your name."

"To be fair you've probably interacted more-so with the employees, I'm not always on the floor working. Although, now that I've met you maybe I should."

Hermione smiled, her cheeks becoming hot as she found herself unable to come up with a decent reply.

Jackson graciously keep the conversation flowing. "I won't keep you from the rest of your day, and I have to find these books their homes, but I can't wait for you to stop back in. Enjoy your afternoon, Hermione." Jackson winked at her and smiled before strolling off to somewhere in the store.

Hermione blushed again and hurried out of the store after he walked away. As she walked down the sidewalk, she couldn't keep a grin from forming on her face. She pictured him introducing himself; his short, caramel-brown wavy hair; his white, perfect teeth when he smiled. Shaking her head she focused on where she was going, but the corners of her mouth were creeping upwards again.

Since finding this town, she hadn't had much luck with romance. Gavin didn't count since she didn't return those feelings and no one else had found enough interest in her to flirt or pursue anything. It wasn't something Hermione concerned herself with much, something she just didn't think about. It didn't bother her to not have a boyfriend, as she'd been doing just fine on her own.

"Hermione!" A voice called from her right. Alice was walking towards her in large strides. "I've been asking around like you wanted me to, and besides the usual Joe's and their wives and kids, there was one Joe who almost no one knows anything about. He's lived here six months, apparently, but he's like a hermit. He spends a lot of time in his home and it's rare anyone sees him out. Like maybe once or twice a month, but he's pretty stealthy with getting around supposedly and stays in the background when he does go out and about."

Hermione stood silent to for a moment to process what she just told her, "Which house is his?"

"He lives on the very outskirts of the town, near the forrest." She answered, looking relieved that her information was of good use.

"Thank you, Alice. That's actually very helpful." Hermione smiled warmly and hugged her, happy to have some answers. Then she turned to head home, unsure of what was to come.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Courage and Bravery were the famous traits known of Gryffindors, and Hermione spent the next few days wondering where they were. She was anxious and paranoid. Every time her mind would wander to him she would mentally argue with her self, listing all the reasons he could possibly be there while keeping her hands busy by cleaning her already spotless home.

By the third day she'd had enough of it all. Finding her nerve, she layered her scarf over her jacket and marched out the front door.

The walk was a bit longer than she had anticipated, and the closer she got the more her nerve was draining from her. By the time it was in view she felt completely empty.

Standing there and staring at it, Hermione attempted to push away all the thoughts of fear. After a quick deep breath and focusing her mind, she set off towards the Victorian-style home.

Reaching to the front door, she winced as she reached out and rang the doorbell. She mindlessly counted in her head as she waited, stopping when footsteps were approaching from inside the house. She payed close attention to the windows for movement and anticipated the face that would appear from behind the door, but nothing happened.

A few seconds later she heard a faint and muffled, "Oh, hell." Her eyebrows raised in mild surprise, as the voice confirmed it was him and this was indeed his home

Once again there was nothing. Hermione guessed that he must be waiting for her to assume no one was home and leave. Unfortunately for him, she was already there and this was already happening so there would be no one retreating.

She pressed the doorbell again and placed a hand on her hip in determination. The ding-dong was followed with more silence.

"You can open the door, I know you're home," she told the house.

After fifteen more seconds, she slapped the front door in a knocking fashion. "Malfoy, I know it's you in there. You can't hide from me." She swallowed hard.

Just when she started to believe he wasn't going to budge, the door lock clicked. The knob turned and slowly the door became ajar, pausing, and then opening more.

Hermione held her breath. The blonde man appeared from behind the door, leaning against it with his arms crossed. He wore his usual mask of indifference.

"Granger. What a pleasant surprise," he drawled.

"Pleasant is not the word _I_ would use, Malfoy." Hermione looked over him with distaste.

"And why's that? Not happy to see me?" Draco's expression turned into mock hurt and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Cut the crap. Why are you here? You don't just randomly show up here, in this particular country, in this particular city - a small and very unknown one at that - and expect me to believe that it's all by chance that we're both standing here right now. You don't even know how moronic that sounds, do you?" Hermione said insolently.

"Would you relax? Wait," he paused for dramatic effect, "do you know how to do that? I mean, you _are_ intelligent so I know you know the meaning of that word…" Draco's joking demeanor was beginning to piss her off.

"I'd be overjoyed to be gone from your presence if you would fast forward to the part where you answer me," she said irritably, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look," he sighed, "It's not that simple. If you come inside I- "

"Ha! You're joking. Come inside? Have you gone mad? Why on earth would I go inside your home willingly and alone?" Hermione looked offended, clearly under the impression he thought she was thick.

"No, you don't get it. I can't talk about this out in the open with you." Seriousness washed over his face.

"Talk about what? What is ' _this_ '? You don't actually believe I'm going to be in a private place alone with you, do you?"

"Yes. I do. Because the Ministry forbids me from saying anything more about this in public."

 _Ministry_. The word caught Hermione's attention. He was here on business for the Ministry?

"The Ministry. _You_ work for the Ministry? Who in their right mind would let you in there?" She snorted in disbelief.

Draco stood up straight. "I've worked hard to get where I am. I've had to prove myself to a lot of people," he sneered.

"So they can just overlook the fact that you let Death Eaters into Hogwarts? That your father was a Death-

"I am _not_ my father!" Draco shouted rather suddenly. "And you will not bring him up!"

Hermione stood taken aback for a few moments, analyzing what just occured.

"Now, you can come in, we can talk, and you can get your answers, or you can leave and I'll shut the door. I'm fine with the latter. What's it gonna be, Granger?" He said much calmer.

Hermione fidgeted with a button on her jacket pocket as she weighed her options. Surely she'd be okay if she went in? She could more than defend herself. If she went missing a lot of people would notice and Alice knew she was coming here. Against her better judgement she headed inside and Draco stepped aside to let her in before closing the door behind her.

Draco began muttering quietly behind her and she turned around to see him with his wand, putting a silencing charm up.

Hermione felt her stomach drop. "I doubt that's really necessary. Your house is a decent distance from your neighbors and no one else is in here with us, right?"

"Yes, I live alone. But no, I'm not at liberty to take any risks," he said sternly.

She didn't argue, deciding to take a quick look around. His living room was a traditional-modern style, plush and furnished but still a bit bare for Hermione's taste. He didn't have any photos up, nor any personal touches that gave it any sort of character. She walked wearily into the kitchen, where the theme continued. She slid her finger tips along the sleek marble counters.

"Ahem," Draco coughed from behind her.

Hermione jumped and recoiled her hand. "Sorry," came out before she could stop it, even though she didn't mean it.

He raised an eyebrow at her before walking over to the fridge and pulled it open. "Do you want something to drink?"

"No, I'm fine."

He grabbed a beer for himself, popped off the top, and took a drink. Hermione eyed him suspiciously before hopping onto a barstool at the breakfast bar, crossing her legs and her arms.

"Well let's get this over with. First of all, I work as an Auror for the Ministry," Draco started.

"And how did that happen?" She asked with a mixture of shock and confusion.

"Don't look so surprised. Two years after the battle of Hogwarts, right after you left London actually, I stopped hiding from everyone. As you can imagine I wasn't anyones favorite person, but I stopped using it as a reason to throw myself a pity party. I went after what I wanted. I earned people's trust, I worked my arse off, and I worked my way up." Draco spoke casually, watching Hermione's face carefully.

"So… you've been an Auror for three years? You work with Harry and Ron?" Hermione questioned.

"Yeah, we work together. But we're not all buddy-buddy now, if that's what you think. We tolerate each other. Although, Potter is much easier to tolerate than Weasel."

"Weasley," Hermione corrected.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes.

"You're an Auror… so what are you doing here? Did you know I lived here?" She questioned.

"Of course I knew you were here. You're the reason I'm here."

Alarm crossed Hermione's features and she gripped the edge of the counter firmly. "Does he know that I'm here? Is something wrong? What's happening over in London?"

"Nothing is wrong, he doesn't know you're here," he took a long swig, finishing his beer. "But he's been quiet for the past year. Usually he's back and forth with his activity, except this time he's staying out of the spotlight. We suspect that he's staying out of trouble to keep off our radar. If he's off our radar and we can't keep tabs on him, then he'll have an easier time searching for you," answered Draco, calm yet serious.

"The past year? Why has no one informed me of this?! This is something I think I'm inclined to know! What if he finds me? What if he's in the United States?" Hermione's eyes darted around the room as if in search for answers as she grew more flustered, lifting her right hand to intertwine her fingers with the roots if her hair.

"Granger. Granger! Calm down, would you? That's why I'm here. That's why I've been here the passed six months. Not that he's here, but just sort of as a precaution."

"Why you? Why isn't Harry or Ron here? Or anyone that I'm actually friendly with?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "Exactly. They didn't want to send someone you were friendly with because you weren't supposed to find out there was an Auror here. You were supposed to kept in the dark so you wouldn't be concerned about something that may never be a real issue. The temptation would have been that much higher for someone you're friends with to give in and go speak with you. Not to mention you, Potter, and Weasel have stayed in the spotlight since the battle of Hogwarts. It's a bit more noticeable if one of them is off the grid for so long."

Hermione took a few seconds to soak in the information. "So what happens now? Do I leave here and pretend you don't exist or what?"

He shrugged. "I honestly don't care. I was hidden because you weren't supposed to know, but now you know. At least now I can stop being a freaking hermit."

"You know, you weren't that hard to find. I saw the back of your head at the bar and then I saw the side of your face at the beach. Not to mention your hair is unmistakable." She looked at his head of hair with distaste. The color was so unnatural looking. It was a bit longer than he had it in his last year of school, shorter on the sides and longer on top and lightly gelled back. Her eyes suddenly dropped to his and she only then remembered they had always been cold. The deep grey stared back at her and she looked away.

"Well I certainly couldn't forgo going outside altogether. I would have gone mental. I'm actually surprised it took you this long. I thought with that brain of yours you would have sniffed me out within a month."

"I'm not a dog, Malfoy," she snapped.

Draco smirked.

"Clearly I'm going to have to speak with you in the future because I want to be kept in the loop of things that you hear from the Ministry or other Aurors. I'm sure you're going to prove that to be a bit difficult," Hermione said, followed with a tired sigh.

"I'll play nice if you do, Granger. But I have to warn you I don't get loads of news. There's nothing much going on with this case at the moment and they try to keep communications as minimal as possible to not draw attention. So please, feel free to not come over."

Hermione scoffed at him. "Don't be such an arse. If everyone trusts you enough to be an Auror and keep watch on me, fine. I trust their judgement. But I don't want to deal with your attitude. We're adults, let's act like it. I won't be over hear more than necessary, so now it's your turn to relax."

"You can check in once a week, if that suits your busy lifestyle, Granger."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not-so-subtle attempt to mock me is pathetic. I'll be over on Sunday nights check in. As nice as this is, I'll be leaving now." She made her way to the door before remembering something she wanted to ask. With a huff and a sigh she made her way back to the kitchen.

"Back already? Did you miss me?" Draco smirked and continued on preparing his dinner.

She stood at the doorframe, antsy to leave. "I'm back because you know that I go by Hermione Jean here, so you must go by a different surname too, I presume? I'll need to know it in case I see you on the street and we have to have a conversation."

"And why would we need to?" He looked up at her with an eyebrow raised in question.

"Because my friend knows that I know who you are. Well, sort of knows. I was vague but I had her ask around about anyone who recently moved to town and you came up. Anyways I'm sure it'll just be better to be prepared than scrambling for an answer later," said Hermione impatiently.

"Thompson," he muttered.

"Excuse me, what? Did you say Thompson?" She suppressed a laugh that turned into a small giggle.

Draco glared at her. "I didn't choose it. I cant use my middle name like you can," he said a bit too harshly.

"Okay, sorry," she giggled, her hands up in surrender.

"Since you made it public that you know me, let's just keep it simple and say we went to high school together. No extensive details, we ran in different circles, whatever. No long story. The less we have to keep straight the better."

"Fine with me," she called behind her as she began to leave once more, neither of them bothering to call out a goodbye.

Hermione's mind was buzzing with her new information. The future was looking foggy without any indication of what was to come. Her friends would meet him, she would see him around, and they were going to be meeting once a week. Not to mention she now had serious safety concerns to obsess over when she was alone. All she knew is she needed some caffeine.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Hermione jolted awake from her sleep, her hair sticking to the sweat on her face and neck as her hands slowly released the sheets she had just been desperately grabbing at. Sitting up, she pulled back her hair into a ponytail and made her way out of bed and into the kitchen. After filling a glass with water from the tap, she sat crisscrossed on the cool, tiled floor and leaned back on the cabinets, remembering what had awoken her.

Distant images flashed through her mind. The one that stuck out the most was of the man she feared more than anyone, Callum Baines. Hermione sat in a daze, sipping some water. Eventually she closed her eyes and pressed her hands over her face. Shaking her head and downing the last of her water, she forced herself to push him away from her thoughts. Hermione subconsciously double checked the doors and windows to be certain they were locked. Once finished, she felt foolish, and laid back down. She concentrated on making her muscles relax throughout her body, one area at a time. Eventually, the exhaustion became too much and she fell back into her previous slumber.

Those next few hours of sleep felt merely like minutes. Her phone sang it's ringtone and she couldn't bring herself to ignore it. Looking at the clock, it was already seven in the morning. Checking the ID with a roll of her eyes, she answered a frantic Alice.

"Where in the hell have you been?!" Alice complained.

Hermione knit her eyebrows and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "What do you mean? I'm just at home."

"I mean, I called you probably a dozen times yesterday. If you hadn't of answered your phone just now I'd be banging on your front door any moment," she huffed.

"My phone died yesterday shortly after lunch, and I went straight to bed after I put it on the charger. I'm okay, no need to send out a search party," Hermione lightly laughed.

"Whatever... So are you going to tell me? What happened? Did you go to that guy's house?" Impatience and excitement mixing in her voice.

Hermione paused, "Why don't I just tell you in person? I'll be out for coffee in about in hour."

"Okay! See you then!" Then the phone line went dead.

Hermione sighed and thought about what exactly she planned on telling Alice about who he was and what had happened. He was from her "high school", but if she pressed for information she had to keep it light and indirect. She couldn't tell her about all the bullying, the war, or why he was even there in the first place for goodness sake. She considered Alice her best friend and yet she couldn't indulge her into her real life.

My old life, she corrected sorrowfully. It was for the best. The magical world and her safety wasn't worth jeopardizing for a few hours of ranting or confiding.

After a hot shower, Hermione took her time getting ready, pulling on her clothes and a jacket. Once she finished a bowl of cereal, she was the out the door, her mind wandering to Malfoy. Would he be out? Would they see each other? He said now that she knew he was here he didn't have to hide anymore. Her insides flip flopped with a bit of nervousness. She hoped he'd behave in front of her friends and neighbors.

Without a sign of him during her entire walk, she came up to her destination and went inside. Spotting Alice immediately sitting at the small, round table by a window.

"Here's your coffee," Alice pushed the cup the short distance to Hermione. "So, now that that's settled, tell me what happened!"

Hermione laughed at her friends excitement. "Honestly it's not all that juicy. It turns out he was the guy that I thought he was. We went to high school together and it was just very, _very_ surreal to see someone I haven't seen in so many years."

"What did you do once you got to his house? Was it awkward? Did you ask him why he stays home all the time?"

"Alice," Hermione said, interrupting the bombard of questions. "I promise, it's not that interesting, but I'll give you a play by play if you want." She glanced down at her cup of coffee for a pregnant pause before looking back up to continue. "I knocked on the door, he answered. He invited me in for something to drink, we caught up a bit. That was pretty much the entirety of it."

Alice didn't look impressed. "That's it? Why have we never seen him around then?"

"I- well, he said he felt like an outsider, and, um, he had a hard time putting himself out there in a town full of strangers..."

"Well now he knows you! What's his name? Is he cute?"

Hermione breathed out a sigh of relief when Alice didn't think twice about her response, but quickly turned red in awkward embarrassment. "His name is Draco... and I don't know, not particularly I don't believe. I wasn't paying attention to that."

Alice giggled at Hermione becoming so flustered. "Hmm, Draco... I like his name. It sounds very sexy."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's preposterous. You can't judge a person's attractiveness based on their name."

"Oh lighten up, Hermione," she poked. "I expect you to invite him to drinks on Wednesday so we can all properly meet him."

"We?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at her. "And why do I have to invite him? It's not an invite only, anyone can walk in and buy a drink."

"But he doesn't know we're going to be there. And yes, we! We as in everyone who's going to be there. You have to invite him because you are the only one who actually knows him," Alice said sternly.

"Okay, fine. I'll invite him."

"I mean it. Follow through with it. Even if you don't consider him a 'friend-friend', be a good neighbor!"

"When have I not followed through on something?" Hermione playfully questioned.

"Point taken." Alice replied, sipping her coffee and looking satisfied.

* * *

It was Tuesday evening and Hermione was running out of time to extend Malfoy an invitation for Wednesday. While she could put it off until Wednesday afternoon, that felt last minute and a bit rude. Hermione stood up from the laptop in front of her and huffed as she grabbed her purse.

Once again she found herself at his front door. Taking in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and rapped on the door. It opened much sooner than she anticipated and caught her slightly off guard. When Hermione didn't say anything immediately, Draco raised an eyebrow at her.

"Did you know that today is not Sunday?" He remarked.

"Yes I am aware what day it is, thank you very much," said Hermione, gathering her wits.

"Then why are you here? You must have better things to do with your time than show up here," Draco questioned. "I know I do at least."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Be quiet a second, would you? My friend Alice told me to invite you to drinks on Wednesday. Tomorrow. You have no obligation to come. I invited you, that's all. Have a good night." She turned to leave.

"Now wait there a second. You want me to meet your friends? I'm touched," Draco said with false sincerity, placing his hands on his chest.

"I personally could care less of you came. In fact, make it easy on me and don't show up." Hermione avoided his gaze and picked at her nails, trying to emphasize her indifference.

A smirk grew on his face. "Oh, I'll be there. You can count on that."

"Okay. Great. I'll see you then," Hermione replied with a lack of enthusiasm. She began to walk away when he called out to her.

"Are you going to tell me a time or am I just supposed to read your mind?" Draco shouted.

Hermione rolled her eyes again and looked back over her shoulder. "Be there around nine."

She heard his front door shut behind her and she couldn't resist the urge to roll her eyes once more. Tomorrow would be interesting in the least, that was for sure. She hoped it would all go rather smoothly, that everyone would accept him without asking too many personal questions and, most of all, that he wouldn't act his usual git self and embarrass her. This was her life, she had been building it over the past few years and Draco couldn't just appear and mess everything up.

Hermione shook her head and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She was being silly. Draco was supposed to be there to protect her, he wouldn't jeopardize his job here when he'd worked so hard to gain the Ministry's trust. There was no need to overreact, at least not yet.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Eight o' clock rolled around and Hermione was already ready to go, her stomach in knots. She'd already cleaned her entire house, finished up some work and emailed it in, and now she attempted to distract herself with reading. While it usually did the trick, tonight it couldn't keep her attention. She put it away and decided to head out anyways, making sure to take her sweet time and not arrive too early.

It was eight fifty when she decided that it was probably an appropriate time for her to go in. There were quite a few inside, but only two she recognized as being there specifically for hanging out with her group of friends.

Walking up beside them, she gave them a wave and a smile, greeting them with a hello. They returned it and went back to talking and watching the sports clips on the large TV. After ordering a drink, she jumped onto one of the stools at the bar and readjusted her blouse.

It was seven after nine before others starting showing up. Keith was first, whom Hermione made an effort to ignore. A few others she distantly knew came in and made small talk with them. Wyatt and Cassandra came over to say hello before the latter pulled them away to talk to someone else. Gavin came as expected, speaking to her for the longest amount of time out of everyone, until Alice finally joined them and pushed him along.

"So where is this Draco person, hmm?" Inquired Alice.

"I invited him, he said he would come, the rest is up to him to get himself here," Hermione said nonchalantly, secretly relieved.

It was Alice's turn to roll her eyes, but Hermione had temporarily lost interest in the conversation when Jackson walked in. She'd realized she'd been staring and blushed before looking at anything else she could find.

"What are y- are you blushing? At who?" Alice whirled around before searching the small crowd of people. "Is it Jackson? Is that who you were staring at?" She scrutinized.

"I, er, okay um. You see what happened was th-"

"Oh my goodness! You love him! When did this happen?!"

"Okay," Hermione stopped her. "First of all, I don't love him. I've spoken with him at the the bookstore, the one he owns, by the way, and he was very sweet and yes, I have interest in him."

Alice gave her a look. "Whoah there Hermione, take it slow. You can't possibly get married this soon," she drawled sarcastically. "Go over there and talk to him!"

"I think I will," she said, then Alice pulled her up, pushing her in his direction to hurry the process along. "Stop! I'm going to! I said I'm going to!" Hermione stood up straight and fixed herself before casually making her way to him.

Jackson looked over from the person he was speaking to, spotting Hermione. A smile crossed his lips and he excused himself to head her way as well. They met in the middle, giving each other a one-armed hug.

"I hoped you'd be here," he told her.

"Really? And whys that?" Hermione questioned, feeling as though she were smiling like an idiot.

"So I could see you again, of course. And tell you how wonderful you look." Jackson smiled fervidly.

Hermione tried not to blush, feeling heat rise to her cheeks.

"And I was wondering," he continued on. "If you were-"

At that exact moment, Draco caught her line of vision. Their eyes met immediately and she silently cursed him for his timing. He sauntered his way towards her.

"-busy on-" Jackson went on before coming to a halt as Malfoy placed his hand on his shoulder. Jackson turned around, a confused look on his face as he saw who had a hand on him.

"Hello! I'm Draco, and you are?" A look of innocence on his face, but Hermione knew better.

"Err, I'm Jackson. I own the bookstore in town. Are you new here or something?" Jackson tried to discreetly get his shoulder out of Draco's grasp to no avail.

"Yes, in fact I am. Did you figure that out all by yourself?" Draco smirked. "Only joking. I actually do know Hermione though."

"Oh. You do?" Jackson looked back and forth between Draco and Hermione, focusing on the latter.

"Yes," _unfortunately_ , she added in her mind. "We went to high school together."

"Would you mind introducing me around?" Draco smiled charmingly.

"I'm sorry, Jackson. We'll catch up later though, yes?"

"Yeah, see you later." Jackson walked off, looking slightly rejected.

Hermione turned and smacked him on the chest.

"Ow! What was that for, you psycho?" Draco put a hand where she hit him.

"Don't pretend like you don't know. He was about to ask me out and you jumped in before he had the opportunity." She crossed her arms.

Draco smirked. "I know he was," he jumped out of the way of another smack at his confession. "But I can tell he's definitely not your type."

Hermione scoffed. "Oh, and _you_ know what my type is, hmm? And what would that be?"

"Not a tool. He had it written all over him." He said matter-of-factly.

"Oh well that's a relief, now I know that _we_ are incompatible," she ranted. "And he did not. He's very nice. You wouldn't know that though because you don't know him, nor did you try to have a conversation with him."

Draco held his hands up on defeat. "It's your life, do what you please. I merely tried to do you a favor."

Hermione rolled her eyes at Draco walking over to grab something to drink. Alice found Hermione after sighting the new head of blonde by the bar, grabbing her arm and dragging her over for introductions.

"Alice, Draco. Draco, Alice," Hermione muttered.

"Very nice to meet you," Draco smiled pleasantly.

Hermione kept her head turned, looking into the crowd pretending to search for someone in order to avoid looking at the man across from her.

"The pleasure is all mine! It's so nice to finally meet the mystery man who's decided to make an appearance," Alice blinked her lashes a few times and casually changed her posture to be slightly more sexy.

Draco noticed but played off his glances. "Your dress is stunning, it accentuates your features beautifully."

Alice blushed modestly. "Thank you, you're dressed quite sharp yourself," she pressed one finger to his collar and slid it along his shoulder. "Dark colors definitely suit you."

Hermione turned at the direction the conversation was going, one eyebrow practically arched up to her hairline. She glanced quickly at what he was wearing, noticing the black dress pants, gray button up shirt tucked in, and a black tie. Why did he also dress so darkly? Although she couldn't help but to agree it suited him nicely.

"Have you seen Wyatt? It's been a while since I've seen him," interrupted Hermione, looping an arm around hers,

Alice paused to think. "I actually haven't seen him myself yet, no."

Hermione began to turn, pulling Alice with her. "Well let's find him, shall we? It's been a few days since I've given him a proper hello."

"Yes, and I'm sure he's here with _Cassandra_. Join us, Draco," Alice called over her shoulder.

Hermione held in a huff. It was a strange thing to walk with Alice while Draco followed closely behind them. For a split second it felt like a normal night, and then Draco would cough or his footsteps would stand out amongst the others, snapping her back into reality. Maybe it was more like her nightmare. They were adults, weren't they? No matter how mature she was she wasn't sure this would ever feel normal.

Wyatt caught their eyes and he waved them over. Hermione attempted to relax as they approached but her shoulders stayed tight.

"Hey, girls!" Wyatt grinned as he leaned in to give them each a one-armed hug.

"Hey!" Echoed Hermione, then gestured to Draco. "Wyatt, this is Draco. I went to high school with him, he's relatively new to town. Draco, this is my friend Wyatt." The men both reached out to have their hands meet in the middle.

"Where did you move from?" Asked Wyatt, taking a drink.

"A small town in Connecticut, a town so small I'm sure none of you have heard of. Most of my family is gone, for various reasons, and I just needed a change, so I happened to come across this place," Draco stuck his hand in his pocket, hoping he hadn't over-answered the question.

Wyatt nodded in understanding. "Well, then it's lucky you found us."

Cassandra walked up beside Wyatt at that moment and did her usual possessive arm loop through his. "Oh, who's this? I don't believe I've met you before. I'm Cassandra, Wyatt's fiancé."

"Draco. I went to school with Hermione, pleased to make your acquaintance," he nodded his head and she returned it.

"Charmed, I'm sure," she answered dully, eyeing Hermione for a moment with a curious look before giving her attention to Wyatt. "Sweetie, I've got to steal you away for a moment. You've got to hear this fantastic idea from..." Cassandra began to pull him away from the group.

"I'll catch up with you guys more in a bit!" Wyatt called out before he was out of earshot.

"And we won't be seeing him the rest of the night," Alice snickered.

Draco looked at her and shrugged. "Why not? She seems to just _love_ you guys," he commented sarcastically.

"Oh, shut up. It's not like we're her biggest fans either. We deal with her to hang out with Wyatt," Hermione tucked a loose strand behind her ear before leaning against the wall she was near.

This continued the rest of the night. Introductions, small talk, and drinking. Every so often Alice would ditch them for a while to hang on Keith, leaving Hermione to feel a bit uncomfortable. She usually spent a good amount of time alone, people watching, and then leaving earlier then the others but she couldn't do that with Draco here. It would be rude to ditch him, as he knew no one here well besides her.

Hermione had been checking her watch a bit more often then she meant to, silence surrounding her and Draco as they sat on the bar stools.

"Got somewhere to be?" Draco taunted.

"No, I do not. I'm just ready to leave, but it would be rude of me to leave you here alone," she propped her head up with her elbow on the counter.

He stood up from the stool with ease. "Well, then lets go. I've been ready to go for at least twenty minutes now, if not longer."

Hermione looked at him curiously. "Really? Why's that?"

"Everyone here wasn't interested in actually knowing me, they're just nosey. I'm clearly an outsider, I'm not sure how you could have missed that," Draco pushed open the door and held it open for Hermione as well as another guest brushing past them.

"I mean, I noticed. But you only just began socializing, it takes time. It was the same way for me when I first arrived here," she confessed.

"It takes time? How long have you lived here? You do realize you're only acquaintances at best with about 90% of the people in there, right? And we're one of the first to leave. That doesn't seem like a whole lot of progress," he scoffed.

Hermione glared at him. "Well I'm not exactly a social butterfly. I'm happy with a small group of close friends, I don't care to hang out with large crowds of people."

They walked in silence a few minutes, their steps clicking dully on the pavement as they walked.

"What's up with Cassandra? Who shoved a stick up her-"

"Draco! Please!" She looked at him in disbelief.

Draco chuckled at her. "Okay, okay. What's up with her?"

"Honestly, she thinks I'm trying to steal Wyatt from her, which is absolutely ridiculous. I have no romantic feelings for him whatsoever and vice versa. I mean, they're getting married for merlin's sake. Have a little more faith in your soon-to-be husband," admitted Hermione.

Draco looked at her. "It's a bit pathetic, don't you think?"

She nodded. "Yes, I think so. But it's been going on so long I just ignore it. I'm basically accustomed to it, it would be strange if she didn't act that way at this point. Although it never gets any less annoying when she drags him away after I walk in a room. It makes talking to him difficult."

"Your other friend seems to have a thing for me," he smirked.

"Oh, stop. She's off limits. And besides, she doesn't know you. She just thinks you're cute. She'll get over it rather quickly when she spends some more time with you," Hermione smirked back at him.

Draco frowned. "Maybe you and that Cassandra should start a group together since your both such a cup of tea."

Hermione slowed and looked at him with fake pity. "You'll be just fine, promise. And this is where we go our separate ways, see you Sunday," she began walking off before he registered he had to head in a different direction.

"Do you want me to walk you home or something?" He asked, unsure, scratching the back of his head.

She began to walk backwards so she could face him. "Were not on a date? I'm fine. I do this all the time. This town is pretty safe. And if not, I have a something useful we both know I have."

"I was just trying to be polite," Draco rolled his eyes. "I don't care. And yeah, you have _something_ , alright," he mocked.

"Okay, goodbye Draco." Hermione rolled her eyes in return and spun forward, listening to Draco's footsteps fade off into the night.

It felt very strange to be talking with Draco like this, like two normal human beings. It was surreal, but it was also nice. Not because it was Draco she was having a conversation with, but because she was almost proud that he had changed as much as he had since school. He was still a prat, that was for sure, but she couldn't ignore the differences in him either. Could they be friends? Maybe... it didn't seem quite as crazy of a thought as it once had.


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

"If I could have everyone's attention! I believe just about everyone is here and it's now six o' clock, so I'm going to go ahead get started," Kevin Belmont announced as he stood at the podium.

Everyone in town sat in black fold-up chairs in front of the modest stage. The sun was setting on the second Saturday of the month, notifying everyone that it was, once again, time for the town meeting. Hermione sat alone in the back, arriving just as it was beginning. She noticed, with no surprise, that Alice wasn't there. Her eyes roamed to find the back of Cassandra and Wyatt's heads in the second row per usual. Gavin was a few chairs diagonal of them, along with Jackson in another direction.

Her eyes lingered on the back of Jackson's caramel locks. She sighed, wondering how she could make a purposeful run-in look like a coincidence. At that moment, movement on Hermione's right caught her attention and she saw Draco side stepping down her row, inevitably leading him to her. He wore a dark gray jacket with black pants; big surprise.

"What'd I miss?" He questioned as he plopped down beside her.

Hermione eyed him suspiciously. "Not much."

Draco slouched a bit and crossed his arms over his stomach, giving his attention to the speaker. Hermione faintly heard the older man discussing the winter events coming up for next month and where you could sign up to volunteer for things, but most of it went unheard. She found it very difficult to concentrate with a particular blonde lounging to her right so casually. Staring straight ahead, she forced herself to focus as the man at the podium went on with his topics.

Half an hour later, the array of people began chatting and migrating out of the building. Hermione and Draco stood at the same time and she said nothing while pulling her purse onto her shoulder and side stepping away from the awkwardness she felt. Chancing a glance back down the row, she found him in the distance exiting at a different door. Breathing out relief, she relaxed and took her time, speaking to people as she passed them.

"Hello there, Hermione," Gavin greeted happily.

"Hey, Gavin. What have you been up to?" Hermione asked sincerely.

"Not much. I am trying to decide what I want to volunteer for, though," he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Are you signing up for anything in the Wonderland Stroll?"

"I probably will be, I'm just not sure what yet."

"Yeah, I gotcha, there are quite a few things to pick from... so that was Draco sitting with you, right?" Gavin watched her expectantly.

Hermione paused with confusion before answering. "Err, yes it was. He came in a few minutes late and joined me in the back. How did you know that? You were quite far in front of me."

"When everyone stood up to leave I happen to spot you and him. He seems nice enough. How is he adjusting here?" His tone attempted to hide his distaste for Draco, but it was evident to Hermione that Gavin didn't care for him spending any time with her.

"He's adjusting well, if I see him again I'll be sure to let him know you asked. I do have to run though, feel free to let me know when you decide on an activity to run," Hermione smiled at him before giving a wave as she strolled out.

Stepping outside, she weighed her options. She could go home, go the bookstore, go see Alice... home seemed lonely, the bookstore felt needy, and the longer she could avoid Alice's need for gossiping about her life the better. Hermione was sure of the fact that Draco sitting with her would get to Alice quickly. What was it about small towns that felt the need to assume everything and tell the next closest ear?

She decided on food, Chinese specifically. Uneasiness set in as her mind wandered to Draco. What was he doing? Where was he? It unnerved her. Hermione hadn't spent any energy thinking about Draco in years and now he was here, in her town, disrupting that peace. She wasn't his mother, he was responsible for himself. Why should she worry about him? It wasn't her burden to ensure he wasn't getting into trouble.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

Hermione turned her head towards the familiar voice.

"You're an absolute idiot. Your brain must feel wonderful, considering it never gets used."

Draco. She spotted him across the street in a store specializing in restored vintage items, clearly fuming. The two associates looked nervous, a bit embarrassed, and possibly scared as they appeared to be trying to calm him down. Hermione knit her eyebrows at the scene, curious as to if this was actually happening outside of her imagination. Without waiting for the display to further unravel, she rushed over before she realized what she was doing.

"Oh, Hermione! We're so glad you're-

"Yes, I bet you're just _elated_ ," Draco snarked.

Hermione stared intently at the men, waiting for an explanation. "What in the world is going on?"

Draco mirrored her, glaring boldly at Adam and Grayson. Hermione noticed his actions and glanced questionably at him.

Adam swallowed. "Errm, well were not really sure how-

"Oh, you're not sure, are you? Is that really the answer you're going with?" He took a step forward, scowling, his hair falling slightly into his eyes.

Grayson matched his step timidly, "Look, let's just relax and let whatever this is, go."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Bunch of cowards," he muttered.

"Have a nice evening, Adam," Hermione nodded at them, "Grayson." Grabbing Draco's forearm firmly, she turned and pulled him out of the store. He went grudgingly, but only gave her slight resistance. Onlookers stared as she dragged him down the sidewalk, undoubtedly whispering. Once secluded, she turned to face him and let go of him.

"What?" He asked at her crossed arms and raised brow.

"Oh for merlins sake. What was that? Why were you yelling at them?" Hermione's stern voice matching her expression.

Draco paused, searching her face. "You know, it doesn't matter. I'm over it."

"Wha- you can't just cause a scene and then expect me to just drop it!"

"They said something I didn't like, that they thought I couldn't hear. I reacted. Nothing more," he pushed his hair back and turned to gaze away from her.

Hermione stood quiet for a few moments, wanting to understand what had happened and what he'd just said. She peered up at his face; his eyes engrossed, his mouth in a still line. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to believe. It seemed as though he were trying to start a fight, but now something in his face brought her to a halt. Draco appeared almost touchy about it, and the last thing she needed was to rile him up more so and give him another opportunity to possibly ruin her reputation in town.

"Fine. I will leave it alone. But you should really learn how to deal with your problems in other ways, instead of creating more issues," she muttered knowingly.

"I'll get right on that," he smirked at her and turned his back, walking to who knows where.

"Merlin help me," breathed out a flustered Hermione.

Takeout would have to be put on hold. The thought of questions flying at her made her empty home now sound appealing.

* * *

Should she go? Probably not. She just saw Draco the day before. If there was anything worth telling, he would have mentioned it. Although she did say she would be there every Sunday in hopes of news. Maybe he was expecting her. It would be very unlike her to not keep her word, and she would be furious if there happen to be news and she didn't end up going to see him.

Hermione grabbed the Tylenol bottle and popped a pill into her mouth before taking a swig of water to fend off the impending headache. She was annoyed at him in general on top of not being able to make up her mind. Deciding on being safe, she chose to pay him a visit.

After knocking three times, the door swung open. Hair dripping wet, Draco stood in a t-shirt and sweatpants, something Hermione once thought she would never witness.

"Erm, hello. Did I come at a bad time?" She inquired curiously.

Draco rubbed the towel he held over his hair a few times, giving her a look of confirmation. "I figured you'd leave and come back later after the first knock when I didn't answer."

"Well, I was already here. And I have things to do later," Hermione justified.

He gestured for her to come in and led the way to the kitchen, taking the seat she had sat at previously.

"Hungry?" inquired Draco, tossing the towel over his shoulder.

A puzzled expression crossed her face. "It's three in the afternoon…"

"And?"

"I've already eaten lunch," Hermione informed him matter-of-factly.

"I wasn't offering you a full course meal, but suits me better anyways," he pulled out a tupperware container of cold pizza from the fridge.

Hermione's eyes caught the contents of the fridge before it closed, taking note that it wasn't very much. "Cold pizza?"

"It's the best kind of pizza," he asserted, grabbing a piece.

After a few quiet moments, she decided to probe. "Overdue on grocery shopping?"

He swallowed the bite of food he was chewing, puzzled. "What?"

"I just noticed your fridge was pretty empty, I was trying to make conversation…" She suddenly felt very uncomfortable.

"Let's just get down to business, shall we? So you can't make any other assessments on how I live."

Hermione focused on the books stacked beside her to keep from making eye contact. The sound of footsteps receding made her glance up to see he'd left the room. Assuming she was supposed to follow him, she made her way casually through the home. Down the hall she began peeking into open doorways to find him. By the third door she found his study. The walls were lined with books and photos while a large wooden desk sat by the window. She entered the empty room intrigued by the photographs.

The first was of Draco as a little boy, around four probably, with his parents. Catching the eyes of Lucius caused her to feel a bit uneasy. Moving along Hermione noticed that only a few contained Malfoy Sr. The rest held only Narcissa and Draco throughout his life, up until around 5th or 6th year at Hogwarts. Once she had seen them all it occurred to her that they weren't moving photos. She was more than sure he didn't own anything muggle growing up, so how was it he had muggle photographs from his childhood?

She turned to scan over the books, touching the spines of ones she knew.

"What do you think you're doing?" Draco demanded.

Hermione jumped, jerking her hand back from the books and spinning around to face him. He stood just inside the doorway, papers in one hand.

"I'm- I didn't mean to intrude, I was looking for you-

"Well you sure did find me," he snapped.

She blinked a few times before stepping forward, "Look, I'm sorry if I stepped over a line but the door was open, I meant no harm. I won't do it again," she explained.

"No. You won't. You have no right to be in here," Draco stepped into the hallway, closing the door after Hermione followed.

Silence surrounded them as they ended up in the living room seated in an arm chair and the couch. Draco laid the papers onto the coffee table.

"No one has given me any news, but I did send them my usual update this morning. Just telling them nothing's out of the ordinary and we aren't dead," he reported.

Hermione hid a cringe at the nonchalant way he spoke of death. Gathering up the papers she began to search over them. There was nothing she wasn't already familiar with, although her heart warmed at the sight of Harry's name. She placed them back in the file on the table and crossed her legs.

"Can I just ask you one thing?"

"I suppose. You'll ask me either way I'm sure," he countered.

Hermione cocked an eyebrow. "All I want to know is how do you have muggle photographs from your childhood? I'm sure you didn't have a muggle camera lying around."

"Not that those photos are any of your business," Draco started, "but one of my conditions for going undercover was to be able to take photographs with me. They were able to create a spell to transform our photographs, making them still and allowing me to be able to bring them along."

Hermione's expression turned into surprise. "Wow, I'm really impressed. The thought never occurred to me to try such a thing."

"Well I think we already knew who was the most intelligent between us," he smirked.

 _Ahh. Draco's back._

"Oh, please," she roller her eyes, "a good idea doesn't weigh your intelligence to someone else's."

"So you think I have good ideas, do you?"

"Bite me, you git," she retorted, staring at the smirk seemed to be glued to his face.

He laughed and Hermione's shoulders relaxed. His laughed died off and they stared at each other in silence until she coughed and got up from the couch.

"I think I'm gonna take off, thank you for filling me in."

Draco stood.

"No, it's fine. I can let myself out," she stopped at the doorway to look back, "and sorry, again," then turned and she was gone.

He heard the click of the door. Walking down the hall, he paused at his study to gaze into it.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

A date was set.

After a few days of overthinking, Hermione had finally managed to walk confidently back into the bookstore. Their encounter led to plans to meet for dinner on Friday, leaving her a bundle of nerves. The day advanced more rapidly than she'd expected.

Hermione checked her hair for the third time, ensuring her up-do was secure and smooth. Glancing at the clock, she had five minutes before Jackson was supposed to arrive. Looking over her reflection in the full length mirror in her bedroom, she adjusted her high-waisted skirt and green blouse before slipping on her heels.

Why was she so fidgety? It felt so unlike her to act this way about a guy. She didn't even know him well enough to determine if it would have the potential to last. Perhaps it was the lack of interest and experience she'd had with dating? Hermione mentally scolded herself to relax. It didn't matter if it didn't work out. She was putting herself out there. What if she began to fall for him and he rejected her? The idea of heartbreak was daunting.

 _Ding-dong._

"Stop analyzing, Hermione," she spoke to the empty room.

Reaching the front door she pulled it open, revealing Jackson in a suit and tie.

"Hermione! You look great," he leaned in and kissed her cheek, causing Hermione to recoil and blush.

"Thank you, so do you," she paused to notice what he was wearing. "Am I underdressed for where we're going? I feel a bit underdressed compared to you," Hermione rubbed the back of her neck.

Jackson looped his arm with hers and moved her along, smiling her way. "No, of course not! I love that skirt. And there's really no dress code."

She noticed the unfamiliar car in her driveway. "You haven't even told me where we're going."

"If I did that, it wouldn't be a surprise," he winked and grinned wider, opening the passenger door for her.

Hermione graciously sat herself down into the seat and waited for him to begin their journey.

The half hour car ride was a bit awkward. They asked each other random questions for less than ten minutes before the car fell silent, neither knowing what to say next. Jackson consequently turned on the radio and hummed to every song, while Hermione heard none she knew.

Arriving at L'Étoile, she felt a wave of flattery and embarrassment. Immediately she knew she was underdressed. Elegant chandeliers hung in every room and everywhere you looked declared expensive yet tasteful.

Hermione attempted to stay confident as they were seated while onlookers stared at her wardrobe disapprovingly.

"I didn't even know this place existed. This is much too expensive, I can't possibly let you buy me dinner here," she muttered, glancing around.

"Nonsense. I'm not afraid to spend a pretty penny for good food. Or on you, for that matter," he gave her another charming smile.

"It's all looks so lovely, I can only imagine what the food is like. But I'd definitely say I'm not dressed for a place like this," Hermione made brief eye contact with someone at another table before taking a large sip of the wine that was poured for them.

"Nonsense," was all Jackson replied before taking up a menu.

She reached for her menu when her peripheral vision picked up on platinum hair. Was she hallucinating? Did she have a sixth sense in detecting Malfoys? But of course she couldn't forget and leave it alone, she could have punched herself.

"Damn it..." she whispered.

Jackson raised his eyebrows in question without looking up from his menu. "Hmm?"

"Oh, nothing. I just need to use the restroom. If the waiter comes before I'm back, could you order for me?" Standing before she finished speaking, Jackson gave her a warm look, obviously touched that she trusted him to pick something for her. She almost felt bad since that wasn't actually the case at all.

Once towards the back of the restaurant, she tried to determine where he would have went. An idea came to her and she casually reached out, touching along the wall. Her hand hit a solid object that she couldn't see.

"Draco!"

An invisible force grabbed her arm and yanked her to an empty hallway, most likely only meant for employees.

"Why did you do that? Are you trying to draw attention to me?" Draco hissed.

"Me? What are you doing here, you nosy sod? Why are you using charms in a place full of muggles? You're just asking to get exposed!" Snapped Hermione.

"I was waiting outside but I just came in to do a quick check. You must be smart enough to figure out that if you go out of town, I have to follow you. I always have to be in the same the town as you. It's a _pleasant_ job requirement," he jibed.

"Well, you could have informed me. All I need is a reason to become paranoid."

"You weren't even supposed to see me. It's not as if you go out of town much,"

"It's still my business when it involves me, thank you very much," crossing her arms defensively.

"Consider yourself informed," stated Draco, his attention towards the hallway in case they were interrupted.

"Now that we're clear, I'm finished with this conversation, so goodbye." Hermione turned on her heel and didn't look back at the blonde who was rolling his eyes, again, in her direction.

The rest of the evening was good, an average first date at best. Though she was glad to be home after having to drive another thirty minutes with him. Jackson kissed her on her doorstep, which ended up being nice. Then he'd tried to invite himself in for coffee, in which she gave him a firm no.

Hermione sighed as she locked the door. Did he really believe she'd let him get further than a kiss that quickly? Not to mention the chemistry between them didn't really spark. Once stripped down to an oversized t-shirt, she sat cross legged on her bed, twirling her wand between her fingers. The feeling of it always electrified her, awakened her.

She missed using and practicing her magic. The occasional, simple spell wasn't satisfying enough, but she'd made do. With a wave she flicked off her lights, shoving it under her pillow before lying down and grabbing the book on her side table.

* * *

 _Rap-rap-rap._

The door swung open and Draco stepped aside to allow Hermione inside. Reaching the living room, he picked up a sheet of paper and handed it to Hermione.

"It was originally coded but I've already translated it for you to read," he stated, breaking the silence.

It was short and sweet. A confirmation that they had received Draco's letter and that there were no new leads or updates at that time.

She sighed. "Okay, well, thanks. I wish they knew more."

"He's not the brightest but he sure knows how to keep hidden."

Hermione looked up at him, knowing who he was speaking of, and nodded sadly. Draco put the update away before offering her something to drink. She accepted, as her throat felt extremely dry in that moment.

"So I couldn't happen but to notice how awkward your date was with that git," he smirked knowingly.

Hermione shot a pointed look at him. "My date went perfectly fine and is none of your business."

He snorted. "Perfectly agonizing, if you ask me."

"Agonizing? He was a gentlemen and we had a delicious meal."

"Until he tried to invite himself in," Draco chuckled.

She blushed at his knowledge of the counter. "Why were you still following me once we were back in town?"

"I'll admit, I was curious to see how your atrocious evening would come to an end."

"Fine, you're right. It was awkward and the ending was the cherry on top of it all. Happy?" Hermione grunted.

He grinned at that. "Can you say that again? You know, the part about me being right?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, while the corners of her mouth turned up. "You're ego is positively foul."

"Not what I was looking for, but I'll take it," he leaned back against the chair and lifted his arms to rest his hands behind his head.

Hermione took this opportunity to peer out the window, noticing how quickly the sun had set from when she first arrived.

"Well, thank you for the update. I should be getting home to prepare something for dinner," standing as she placed her bag across her chest.

Draco subconsciously met her stance. "I'm just glad you chose a later time to show up at my house. Next time you ring while I'm showering, I'm going to answer in nothing but a towel."

"Oh, Merlin. Just stop right there please, that is the last image I want to see!" she exaggerated a grimace and scrunched her nose in repulsion.

"Like you haven't thought of me in a towel before," he spoke confidently, purposefully pestering her.

Hermione's mouth gaped. "I absolutely have not! Let me know if you'd like help deflating your head!"

The joking atmosphere ended abruptly when the lights went out and darkness surrounded them. Silence accompanied them as they separately worked out their confusion in their own heads.

"Draco?" Hermione inquired.

"What in the- why have the lights gone out?"

"This can happen with electricity. If the power lines get damaged by something, it can't run electricity to your home. It's probably not a big deal, I immediately thought the worst but I-..." she drifted off, not bothering to finish.

Draco felt her worry in her words. "You're right, it's probably nothing. What's living like a muggle without a few muggle problems?"

"Right. Maybe we should walk into town and see who else it's effecting and maybe someone knows what's caused it."

"That's probably a good idea."

By this time their eyes had adjusted to the black and they were able to navigate their way through his home to the front door. Hermione followed closely to Draco, her mind shouting the anxieties she was usually able to keep at bay.

The streets weren't much better but the stars helped a bit. As far as they'd noticed everyone else had lost power as well. Hermione's phone lit up and began buzzing.

"It's Alice," she told Draco. "Hello?" She answered.

Draco stood watching her and straining his ears, trying to figure out what was being said on the other end of the phone.

"Yes, I see that," long pause. "Well I'm glad. Hopefully they can fix it rather quickly," pause. "I will, we're making our way down there now," pause. "Myself and Draco..." long pause. "Alice don't be weird," pause. "I'll see you in a bit." And promptly hung up the phone.

"What did she say?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"There are people coming from the next largest city near us to fix whatever the issue is. They should be here in about 20 minutes she thinks, according to what time they said they'd be here anyways."

The rest of the walk was rather quiet, but the silence was comfortable. Once in town she noticed the crowds of people in the streets, all talking in various groups. It was difficult to locate Alice without any light, but eventually Hermione wandered over to the right group.

"Hermione! Finally, you're here. They should be here any minute now, so you haven't missed much," said Alice, looping her arm with Hermione's while Draco stood quietly behind them.

"Hello, Draco," Alice greeted with a wide smile. "You remember Wyatt, Cassandra, and Gavin," she gestured.

Draco gave a nod. "Yes, it's nice to see you all again, even under these unfortunate circumstances."

"Indeed, this is absolutely ridiculous. No one's even done anything and yet here we are stuck without electricity. How lovely," Cassandra huffed.

"Good to see you, man," Wyatt reached out and shook his hand, while Gavin only nodded and gave a small wave.

Suddenly, two trucks were pulling up. Everyone looked relieved that they had arrived.

"Draco," whispered Hermione.

They both side stepped slightly away from the group, ensuring no one overheard their conversation.

"Do you feel that?" She continued.

Draco put all his focus onto her words. "Like a faint buzzing, almost…" he confirmed.

"Like the air is charged," Hermione added.

"It feels... dark. It reminds me of my days when you know who stayed at my manor..." he gave her a knowing look.

Before they could react, the men stepped out of the vehicle, everyone still partially blinded from the headlights.

"Who's in charge here?" he addressed the crowd

Hermione froze at the sound of the man's voice. "We have to go, Draco we have to go now," she pulled at his sleeve. "You guys, listen. I have no time to explain, but we need to get out of here right now."

Alice and Gavin gave confused and worried looks at the distressed Hermione, but didn't question her. Cassandra on the other hand gave a look of skepticism.

"Why? I'm not going anywhere."

"Honey, maybe-" Wyatt began.

"No," her distaste evident. "I'm not going anywhere with her if I don't know why."

"Hermione, we don't have time for this," Draco commanded and grabbed her hand to pull her away.

They stayed low and mixed in with the crowds. Alice and Gavin were on their tails, blindly trusting the two in front of them. A few people shot them questioning looks, but most didn't notice the group in the dark with their focus on the men from the trucks.

"This should be a relatively easy job," the man continued, his voice echoing from afar. "Before we get started, we have some forms we need signed by the person who caused it," he paused to let people murmur. "It says here it came from the house of... Hermione Jean. Does anyone know where she is? We'd like to get started so you all can go home."

Hermione tensed at the distant mention of her name and Draco quickened his pace. They'd just reached the first neighborhood when they heard something about 'home' and 'search'. At that point Draco took off in a sprint, still hand in hand with Hermione. Alice and Gavin kept up rather well, only falling a few yards behind. They eventually reached the forest just beyond Draco's home. He abruptly stopped, almost causing everyone to slam into each other.

"Stay here, stay hidden, I'm going to run to my house and grab a few essentials. I'll be quick," Draco explained. He turned to speak to Hermione directly. "We'll have to travel on foot so they can't track our apparition. Cast a disillusionment charm," and he commanded before dissapearing.

Hermione slid her wand out of the secret compartment in her coat, reciting the incantation.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" Alice stammered, staring at her hands that had suddenly taken on her surroundings.

"All you need to know is that those men are after me, and potentially Draco since he'd be convenient to take along as well if they caught me. We have certain... capabilities. If we tell you both anymore you could be in danger for your knowledge," Hermione smiled apologetically.

Gavin scratched his forehead. "This is completely bizarre. Who is he? Why is he after you?"

"Umm," she searched her brain for a generic answer. "We were on different sides of a war. That's really all you need to know."

"War? What war? Where? When?" Gavin interrogated.

"Please, no more questions. I'm not sure what his intentions are with the rest of the people in town, but you also can't stay with us as that will put you in danger as well. We'll need to find somewhere safe away from here to take you both before Draco and I travel too far."

Draco reappeared just then with a backpack, his focus on Hermione. "Let's go."


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

Day break was quickly approaching. They had eventually stopped running once they were sure no one was tailing them, just in time for exhaustion to take over their bodies. While alternating between walking and resting, no one had slept a wink. Draco and Hermione had stayed quiet apart from when it was necessary. Gavin and Alice, on the other hand, would occasionally break the silence with awkward attempts to ease the tension or more questions about their situation.

"Now that the sun is beginning to rise, I think we should drop you two off in whatever town this is, since we'll be more exposed in the light," Draco asserted, clearly more of a statement than a suggestion.

The muggles didn't argue, but merely nodded, as they were too exhausted to dispute it. They made their way out of the trees besides the highway to get an indication of where they were headed from the signs. Once at the edge of the city, Draco started to dig in his backpack while the other three of them came to a halt to watch him. He pulled out a small wad of cash and handed it to Alice.

"Get a hotel. Keep an eye on the news. Wait a few days before calling some of your friends back home to see if anything has happened. Don't tell anyone of your location or that you were with us. Make up an excuse of some sort as to why you left so suddenly, a family emergency or something of that nature. When you inevitably go back, you're as shocked as everyone else that we've disappeared," Draco instructed, his expression somber.

Gavin began nodding while furrowing his brows, allowing his brain to absorb all this information. Alice immediately looked to Hermione grievously. They met together in a tight embrace, tears threatening to spill down their cheeks.

"I'll be fine. Don't you dare put any of your energy worrying about me, you'll need it all for yourself," Alice let go of Hermione to see her face.

"I'm sorry I put you in this position to begin with," Hermione began, guiltily. "We've been friends for so long and I don't even know if I'll ever see you again."

"Stop right there. There's no need to feel guilty. I'll see you again, I'm sure of it." She gave a warm smile that didn't quite meet her sad eyes.

Draco coughed loudly. "If you both are finished we should really get going."

Hermione gave him a look before she gave Alice a final hug, as well as a goodbye to Gavin, who looked heartbroken as they embraced. Then they were off, two pairs in two directions.

After Gavin and Alice, along with the city, were out of sight, Draco came to a halt and turned to Hermione.

"So where exactly are we going?" Hermione asked, glancing at the trees that had enveloped them once more.

"I think we're fine to apparate. But I'll have to apparate us to multiple locations before we reach where we're going, just to be sure," he informed the brunette, ignoring her question.

"Where exactly are we headed to?" She tried again.

"A safe house of sorts. There are a few scattered across the world, in case Aurors find themselves in trouble while in another country. No one outside the Auror department knows of them, except for you now, as I have to take you to one."

Hermione nodded in understanding. Her stomach began churning, nervous for the apparition. While she was more than familiar with it and rather skilled at doing it, it had felt like ages since she'd done it. She worried she'd get sick in front of Draco, since she'd have to keep the nausea away for more than one trip. Sighing, she ambled over to stand beside him, holding securely to his arm.

Draco side glanced at the witch on his arm, ensuring she was prepared for him to begin their journey. Their eyes met briefly and he looked forward to focus on where they were headed.

Eventually, they landed in some woodlands and Draco didn't disapparate again. Hermione let him go at this realization and focused her mind on the steady ground. She felt much better than she expected she would but instantaneously noticed how empty her belly was.

"So which way to the safe house?" She pondered aloud.

"It's not here," his answer was met with a baffled expression. "With the distance we're traveling and the amount of times I'd have to apparate us, I could only make it half way. We'll continue on tomorrow."

Hermione observed him as he rummaged through his pack, lifting an eyebrow.

"Undetectable extension charm?"

Draco didn't look up to answer. "Yes."

"I used it during the war. It was quite convenient."

"Of course it's convenient, who wants to carry loads of heavy crap around?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. The next thing she knew, a tent was up. Draco began uttering protective enchantments around their campsite before heading inside. It was early morning, but they were both exhausted and famished. The tent reminded her of the time she spent on the run with Harry and Ron. Once the war was over she decided she'd never go camping again, not that she had anyone to drag her to go, considering her parents had remained obliviated. But here she was, in a tent, on the run. And with a Malfoy, no less.

The tent was one large room with a bed on each side. In the center was a table, along with a couch, and on the back wall was a fire stove.

Draco tossed his backpack on the table and plopped down onto one of the beds. Hermione looked around for a moment before deciding she couldn't sleep without some food in her. She rummaged carefully through the bag, hoping to stay quiet enough not to disturb her new tent-mate. After pulling out the dishes and supplies, she got to work.

* * *

Draco startled awake. He took in his surroundings before realizing it had only been a nightmare, one that involved his father. Turning over onto his side, an unknown aroma met his nostrils. A puzzled expression came over his face before he sat up to investigate. He found a plate of cooked food resting on the table, food that he noticed was from his stash in his pack. A heating charm was placed over it to keep it warm. Draco only then took notice of Hermione as she slept on her side. Her face appeared peaceful; holding no signs of fear or anxiety. Her hair was bit wilder than usual with wavy curls in every direction. The blonde shook his head when he'd realized how long he'd been looking at her. He sat down to devour what was in front of him before heading back to sleep some more, as the clock suggested he'd only been out a few hours.

* * *

Hermione woke slowly, wondering how long she'd actually slept. It was almost dinner, confirming the recommended eight had definitely been accounted for. She gave a long stretch and shuffled over to the couch. Should she wake Draco? No, she'd enjoy the peace and quiet while she had it. She contemplated what to do to occupy her time. A thought popped into her head, causing her to search through the seemingly endless backpack. She was correct in assuming he'd brought a few books. Although they were all informational, Hermione was elated. A sigh of contentedness escaped her lips as she snuggled into the couch with the book in her lap.

An hour or so passed before Hermione looked up at the sound of Draco stirring. He sat up, scratching his scalp.

"You would find my books," he smirked knowingly.

She shrugged indifferently. "I needed a way to pass the time."

Draco stood up casually, still a bit groggy from his slumber. He moved lazily to other end of the couch, plopping down after Hermione pulled her knees closer to herself to give him space. She closed the book and set it on the table.

"So..." the brunette began.

"So?" The other repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, there are things we should discuss."

"What's there to discuss?" He gave her a puzzled expression.

"What time are we leaving, where exactly are we going, does Harry know, how long will we be at this 'safe house'?"

"Why do you feel the need to have to know everything?"

She scoffed at his accusing tone. "I think it's perfectly logical for me to wonder those things. You aren't the only one here, nor are you the only one in danger. In fact, my life is probably more at stake considering it was me he was originally after. You'd just be a side prize."

"I know what's at stake, forgive me for not jumping to discuss strategy with you, considering you're not exactly an Auror," he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please. That's an awful excuse. I don't have to be an Auror to know our plans."

"It's not an excuse," Draco responded indifferently.

Hermione sat up further, criss-crossing her legs. "You know I'm not one the same person I was in school. I do _not_ have a 'need' to know everything," she was extremely annoyed that he was playing the know-it-all card, as if they we're twelve again. "Where is this conversation even headed? Do I not get an answer to any of my questions?" She demanded.

"You're not in control here, I am. Everything's already set," his voice was stern, his shoulders slightly tense.

"Control? That's what this is about?" She huffed. "I don't want control, this is ridiculous. This conversation is pointless, isn't it?"

He stood abruptly, causing Hermione to feel minuscule.

"I'll be back later," and he was gone.

Hermione remained still on the couch, alone. He'd made an enormous effort to distance himself from his past, so why did the atmosphere match the one at Hogwarts? Hermione picked up the book she'd set on the table to forget whatever had just occurred between them.

* * *

It was almost ten o'clock by the time Draco returned to the tent. He'd only been gone for a couple hours but the longer he stayed out the more Hermione worried something had happened to him, leaving her without any direction of where they were or where they were headed.

He ambled towards his bed to sit on the edge, his elbows resting on his thighs. Hermione stared at him from her own bed, lying under the sheets to allow him to assume she was asleep. It was dark enough that he wouldn't be able to obviously notice that her eyes were open.

"Draco?" Hermione spoke softly.

Draco's body jerked in surprise to her voice, his head whipping upwards in her direction. "Merlin, Granger!"

"Err, sorry. Wait- I thought it wasn't safe to use my last name?" She questioned uncertainly.

"It wasn't safe while you were in hiding. If you look around there's no one here who doesn't know who you are," he replied a bit harsher than intended.

Hermione fully sat up, not bothering to fill the silence at first. She was momentarily fazed by the sudden switch to her surname. "Where have you been?"

"Just out. Clearing my mind." He looked away from her face and laid down on top of his sheets, hands behind his head, feet crossed.

Hermione was unsure if she should press it or let it go. Did it matter where he went? He was alive and they would move forward at daybreak. Hermione sighed and attempted to sleep, longing for deep nothingness to overtake her from the reality she'd found herself in; dreaming of her lost friends.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Chapter Nine**

Draco put away the tent and slung the backpack over his shoulder, the sun rising behind him. He raised his brows at Hermione, "Ready?"

"Yes," she answered, pulling her shoe laces. She stood from the log she was resting on and crossed the distance between them. He held out his arm and she took it without a word.

Eventually, a modest cabin appeared before them. Shadows covered the home, as the sun hadn't yet begin to rise. It looked abandoned at first glance, as if forgotten out in the woods. Draco made his way towards the safe house. The brunette hesitated before following, absorbing everything around her.

The view was beautiful. It seemed unreal, as if she was staring into a postcard you buy in those tacky gift shops. Up close the cabin had clearly been very well taken care of.

"Feel free to speed up your pace. I'd like to unpack a bit before we have to leave again." Draco stood promptly in the front doorway, eyes curious.

Hermione's cheeks burned from the awareness he was directing at her. She adverted her eyes while moving hastily towards the porch. He closed the door as she brushed past him, placing his bag on the counter to fish out random kitchen supplies. The home was cozy but not cramped, furnished and stocked with more food than she'd anticipated. A staircase sat across the living room, leading up to a small hallway and two doors.

She didn't bother waiting for Draco as she went to investigate the bedroom situation. Opening each door led to identical, mirrored rooms, both with a twin bed, small closet, and a single window. Seeing as they were the same, she stayed in the one she was occupying. Heading towards the window she noticed it gave her a view of the lake. It came off dark and mystical, as there was no sun to glimmer off it.

"I see you've found our rooms," he remarked, strolling towards the outside view. He propped his hand on the wall as he gazed out.

Hermione rose from the window ledge, feeling small compared to him. She glanced between Draco and the view. "I figured i'd get myself acquainted with where I'm going to be sleeping."

He half turned and waved a hand towards the door. "Follow me."

She raised an eyebrow but complied. "Where exactly am I following you to?"

"How many places could I possibly lead you to while we're constrained at this location?"

"Fair enough."

Her eyes rested on his broad shoulders as they made their way to the small kitchen. Draco kneeled and began searching for something on the floor. He lifted up a small door from the hardwood in what looked like out of nowhere. From the darkness of the entryway emerged stairs. How far down they went Hermione couldn't tell. She watched Draco begin to ascend and decided against her better judgement to follow him. Thirty seconds passed before her eyes adjusted and she came to a flat surface. Draco pulled on a thin chain, switching on a lightbulb from the ceiling.

"Ahh, so this is where you're going to hide my body," she said, peering at the illuminated space around her.

Something between a smirk and an actual grin crossed his face, "I swear you know me better than I know myself. Unfortunately I don't have the plans all drawn out yet, but I'll keep you in the loop. On another note..." he tossed something thin at her.

Hermione caught it without effort and stared at her hand. "A wand… But- who's wand is this? Where did you get this?"

"There's an emergency stash of a few unregistered wands down here. I know we didn't get to grab yours from your home, but this should suit you fine until you get yours back." He moved around a few boxes, checking over what was down there and where things were located.

She scoffed. "Yeah, if I ever see my wand again. For all I know they've torn my house down to nothing. If they found it I would bet they've already broken it out of spite."

"I don't want to give you false hope, because there's a strong chance they may have, but you never know. Knowing you were already a step ahead of them, they may not have wanted to exhaust the resources. But honestly, we won't have any indication until we're back in the real world."

"What is down here anyways?" She tried to change the subject, feeling a loss from the one thing she'd been able to keep connected to after she left London.

"This," he gestured around himself, "is our emergency 'shelter', if you will. If we are found by people we don't want to be found by, and we can't get elsewhere, we come down here. Once the door closes and we put up some enchantments, they'll never be able to locate where we are. Hell, I had trouble remembering exactly where in the floor it was."

"Why is there muggle electricity?" She questioned, pointing to the bulb he'd turned on.

"If our wands get dropped or stolen in the mess of things, it'd be nice to see down here."

She nodded at him in understanding.

Draco finished a bit of unorganized organizing before turning back to Hermione. He watched her as she looked through everything for herself. No doubt keeping a mental list for the future. She was the same girl from school yet a different woman all in one. It was a strange thing for him to think about. It was easier to boil her down into the cookie-cutter person she used to be and leave it at that. But she wasn't.

Hermione finished rummaging through the supplies before heading back upstairs. Weighing her options, she decided to take her mind off of everything else going on around her and cook. Looking at her options in the cabinets, they would be eating better there than they'd been in the woods. She heard Draco drop the door closed from behind her.

"Please don't tell me your food is as tasteless as your humor?" A false look of disgust on his face as he peered over her to see what she prepping.

"Why don't you shut up and get out of the kitchen since you're not cooking, hmm?" She felt uncomfortable having him so much in her personal space.

He made to look as if he were contemplating something. "Well I suppose I could help you cook."

Hermione snorted, tossing scraps in the garbage bin. "Must we start a fire to the place that's keeping us alive?"

"Hey, I can hold my own in a kitchen. I didn't have a house elf to cook for me once I had to follow you around," he countered matter of factly.

"Yes, it must have been awful to not have everything done for you all the time." She rolled her eyes, trying to avoid his.

"Right, whatever, I was a twat for having a house elf. They have rights. Yeah, yeah. Not the point. Give me a task. I've gotta eat the same as you and it seems much less likely you'll poison me if I'm standing right there," he persuaded.

Stopping her motions, she gazed at him suspiciously a few moments. Giving in, she told him to grab something else out of the small pantry for her.

"This?" He called, holding out the item.

"Close, but no."

Draco disappeared and reappeared in seconds. "It's this, yeah?"

She gave him a look and shook her head, chuckling as he huffed back out of view. Wanting to get the process going, she abandoned her task and dried her hands on a towel. She found the blonde peering throughly over the goods on the shelves.

"Need another set of eyes?" Hermione questioned, amused.

"I don't need help. It's... just a lot of shelves to look over." The blonde tried to appear indifferent to her presence. After a long pause, he turned around. "I have no idea what I'm looking for. Happy?"

"It's a little comical," she reached straight in front of him and grabbed what she'd asked for, a smug grin plastered on.

He rolled his eyes and took it out of her hand, "Tell me what you want me to do with it."

* * *

When night arrived, Hermione felt relieved to have the night to herself in her room. After sharing a tent with Draco with no private rooms, she'd felt like she couldn't quite unwind. Like she was constantly watched and thus had to keep up some sort of appearance. But what appearance? It was Draco, for crying out loud. While he'd never seen this much of her before, it's not like she had anything to prove. She had no reason to care about his opinion of her. Although, it would make things easier if they kept getting along somewhat. Who wanted to always feel uncomfortable or awkward, or to be always arguing and angry?

Unwinding led to crying. The tears wouldn't stop as she thought about what her life had become. Her world flipped upside down time and time again since she was eleven. She hadn't been to either of the places she called home in years. As of now she couldn't even be at the place she'd made an awful attempt of calling home. Where in the hell was she? What were her muggle friends doing after she dumped them and ran with Draco? What was Harry doing right now? Where was Ginny, Ron, all the Weasley's, everyone she knew in the wizarding world? Or everyone she used to know. Were her parents happy? Would she ever get them back?

Draco leaned hunched against a wall on his bed, hearing her sobs. He assumed she wasn't used to being able to often use a wand again. Otherwise he was sure she would have put up a silencing charm. He felt guilty listening to it, but there wasn't anything he could think of doing to make it stop. He thought it was because she was overwhelmed, and that once she finished she'd be fine and feel better. He put his book on the night stand and flicked the light off, not being able to put up his own silencing charm. Just in case.


End file.
